Farmers Guardian articles from January 2004

Farmers Guardian archives from January 2004

Fears over unused milk quota `grab' are allayed.
January 2, 2004... THE Government's decision to lift the immediate threat of confiscating all or part of unused milk quota if at least 70 per cent was not used within a certain period, has been welcomed by industry leaders. It was described as `of major...

EU farming budget set at #330bn.
January 2, 2004... THE European Union will spend #330bn on agriculture next year. This accounts for 46 per cent of the total budget for all spending, but is around #1.5bn below the ceiling set by heads of state. The Budget Commissioner Michaele Schreyer has...

American BSE case has little impact.
January 2, 2004... A case of BSE has been found in the United States in what is believed to be an adult Holstein breed casualty animal. However, while the situation is being monitored by organisations and bodies in the UK and Europe, there are unlikely to be any...

The year of change: Challenges ahead.
January 2, 2004... THE coming year needs to be one of anticipation and preparation for 2005, which will be, without doubt, the year of greatest change the farming industry has faced for a very long time. That is the message from leading figures in agriculture...

`Energy' crops get a boost.
January 2, 2004... PLANS to boost take-up of biomass by producers and power generators announced by the DTI have been welcomed by the National Farmers' Union Energy Minister Stephen Timms announced new measures to allow longer for the energy crop market to...

Record hunt crowds.
January 2, 2004... RECORD crowds of over 275,000 people attended 350 Boxing Day hunt meets across the country in what the Countryside Alliance described as `a huge show of support and solidarity for hunting'. Simon Hart, the alliance's chief executive said:...

RWAS Centenary Centre for Mid Wales.
January 2, 2004... THE Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's centenary year celebrations kicked off yesterday with the unveiling of spectacular plans for a #5m- plus Centenary Centre on its permanent Builth Wells showground. The prestigious project, complete...

`Change is essential for finance and livestyle'.
January 2, 2004... Farm business consultancy Andersons has published its Outlook 2004 report in which it outlines predictions for UK agriculture. David Boderke looks at the details. THE UK dairy industry needs to follow the example of England's Rugby World...

`Come and join us'.
January 2, 2004... SIMON Edwards, whose family has farmed at Byton, Herefordshire, since 1880, has been elected the new chairman of the NFU's county branch. Mr Edwards, who succeeded outgoing chairman Paul Thomas at the branch annual meeting after being...

Challenging year ahead as chairmans' role expands.
January 2, 2004... THE new county chairman for Staffordshire NFU, Carole Goodwin, is convinced the union's radical restructuring will make for a more dynamic organisation that makes swifter decisions. Mrs Goodwin believes member-run county meetings will...

Shropshire chairman has links with Clive of India and D-Day!
January 2, 2004... THE new chairman of Shropshire county branch of the NFU is John Evans, of Walcot Farm, Lydbury North, who was elected unopposed. Mr Evans farms in partnership with his wife Hilary and two of their sons, Robert and James. The farm has...

TB and CAP reform make new term a `tough time'.
January 2, 2004... NEW Gloucestershire NFU chairman, Michael Weaver, who has taken office for a two-year term acknowledges he is in for a tough time. The county has the worst incidence of bovine TB in the country with 60 per cent of its dairy herds affected...

`Grandma' takes charge.
January 2, 2004... THE new chairman of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire NFU is 65-year-old grandmother of four, Marilyn Irvings, from Church Enstone. A runner-up in the South East heat of Farming Woman of the Year 2002, she has been the branch...

Union pays its way.
January 2, 2004... THE NFU had worked hard in 2003 to ensure British livestock farmers got back more than #16m, Richard Haddock, the union's national livestock chairman told Montgomeryshire NFU's annual meeting in Newtown. By overturning financial penalties...

Getting the right message on farming over to public.
January 2, 2004... A dairy farmer whose land borders the M5 motorway is the new NFU county chairman for Worcestershire. Terry Hill, of Saints Farm, Brownheath Lane, near Droitwich, took over the post after being elected unopposed at the county branch annual...

New entrants scheme `snub'.
January 2, 2004... Comments by Welsh Assembly Countryside Minister, Carwyn Jones, that there would be no new entrants scheme in the near future have angered Wales YFC. Members said they regarded his `snub' as a serious blow as it was the Minister himself...

KEEBLE'S VIEW: If you want to be heard, you have to speak up.
January 2, 2004... Two things happened recently that made me realise just how much the rural community has changed and how that change has in turn affected agriculture. I spent four days in the East Pembrokeshire/Prescelly Hills area of Wales where the first...

OPINION: New Year, new way.
January 2, 2004... The New Year is traditionally a time of optimism - resolutions made and hopefully kept, starting over with a clean sheet, facing forward with renewed vigour. This year will be a time when that forward looking - and thinking - attitude is...

Setting out their stall for 2004: TFA.
January 2, 2004... THE coming year provides an opportunity to build a better future for farming and farm tenants. Three major issues loom large for the New Year: the implementation of CAP reform, the implementation of tenancy reform and the need for a...

Setting out their stall for 2004: CLA.
January 2, 2004... THE coming year will see the countryside facing a turbulent ride over new rights of access, housing problems for the local population and a radical overhaul of farming, not to mention a host of new legislation that will bring more liability...

Setting out their stall for 2004: NFU Scotland.
January 2, 2004... THE NFU Scotland has now submitted its views to Government and I believe the reformed CAP can provide the framework for Scottish agriculture to thrive. Greater freedom for businesses to develop, a reduction in unnecessary bureaucracy and...

Setting out their stall for 2004: Farmers Union of Wales.
January 2, 2004... THE FUW will be fighting hard in 2004 on many fronts and couples this pledge with a challenge for Tony Blair. At the top of the list is CAP reform and the fundamental shift in the way European payments will be made. The FUW has consulted...

Better accuracy - with slurry.
January 2, 2004... INDIVIDUAL sections of a 20 metre slurry drag hose boom can be closed off individually to avoid over-dosing parts of the field, by means of a new controller being introduced at the Danish Agromek agricultural exhibition in January. ...

Sprayers added to Rau range.
January 2, 2004... SELF propelled sprayers have been added into Kverneland's Rau range. Complementing the existing mounted and trailed models, the new Ibis range is built in Rau's Cognac factory. They have mid mounted cabs which afford the driver an easy...

`Perk up' your Perkins.
January 2, 2004... A tired Perkins 1000 Series engine, which might have done up to 15,000 hours, can be made good for another 10,000 to 15,000 hours with an overhaul kit which is now being promoted by the engine manufacturer. The complete kit, when combined...

Lynx in Frontline.
January 2, 2004... APPROVED by New Holland for fitting to its 73 to 97hp TDD range of tractors, the latest Frontline 2.8t front linkage and front pto systems from Lynx Engineering feature a new cast base frame The frame neatly integrates the tractor and...

Steyr out of UK and Ireland.
January 2, 2004... Tractor manufacturer CNH has decided it will no longer market its Austrian-built Steyr tractor brand in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The decision was taken following a review of the market potential for Steyr in the two...

Baling and bale-wrapping bought by management.
January 2, 2004... A management buy-out has acquired the baling and bale-wrapping business at the Lely Group's Welger factory in Germany. The distribution of the Welger products will, however, continue via the Lely organisation. The sale is part of...

CRMS takes on Devon depots.
January 2, 2004... Westcountry-based Case IH dealer CRMS has expanded eastwards by taking over Avon Bridge Machinery`s two Devon depots. CRMS Group, which represents Case IH's agricultural range from its depot at Roche, near St Austell, is also now...

A man not afraid to speak his mind.
January 2, 2004... SAC's long serving cereals specialist David Cranstoun is retiring after some 30 years with the college. He has played a key role in cereal variety trials over the years and has never been afraid to speak his mind. Neil Ryder dropped in at SAC...

Prize for innovation in farming.
January 2, 2004... THE search is on for the Welsh farmer or landowner who has found the most innovative and challenging means of diversifying. CLA Wales is looking for the individual or business that has developed or replaced the farm income in an alternative...

Farming: Increasingly a countryside component.
January 2, 2004... David Boderke speaks to Rodney Bacon, who is due to leave the NFU after 29 years' service this month. ONE of the most enduring memories Rodney Bacon will take with him when he leaves the NFU at the end of January after 29 years will be...

Threat to organic poultry industry.
January 2, 2004... ORGANIC poultry production in the UK could cease unless a proposed EU extension of the derogation allowing conventionally produced day-old chicks to be used by organic poultry producers goes ahead, the Organic Farmers and Growers certification...

Former NFU boss dies.
January 2, 2004... A FORMER director general of the NFU from 1979-85, Roy Watson, has died at the age of 77. Mr Watson, who had been assistant director general from 1973 to 78, had also been director of the Parliamentary Division. Prior to that he had...

Regime changes ensure hill farm will `carry on milking'.
January 2, 2004... Heifer rearing has ended and lambs and calves are being sold direct on a Mid-Wales hill farm determined to carry on producing milk. Barry Alston reports. With such rock-bottom prices for milk there is little wonder that every day up and...

Striving for justice on a wider front.
January 2, 2004... Getting the best out of his dairy cows might be the main attraction at home - but Arwel Hughes is just as dedicated to improving the industry's lot away from the farm. As a 23-year-old with milk quotas the hot topic of the day, he was...

RURAL LIFE: Put yourself first and succeed in business.
January 2, 2004... You are a rural woman. You have a good idea for a business or want to extend an existing enterprise. But, as the new year begins, something - or someone - is holding you back. Is it lack of funds, a less than enthusiastic husband - or could...

Farm's a double-winner of Peak District Quality Marks.
January 2, 2004... AFTER receiving an Environmental Quality Mark award from the Peak District National Park Authority for their organic dairy farm, Terry and Sue Prince have been presented with another, this time for their bed and breakfast and self-catering...

Farm Stay's free guide is launched.
January 2, 2004... A cheque for #1,126 for Leukaemia Research was presented at the gala dinner during the annual Farm Stay conference. It was accepted by Beryl Bamforth, one of the original WI Calendar Girls, guest speaker at the dinner. Some 185 Farm Stay...

Eisteddfod winners.
January 2, 2004... ALICE Earp, a member of Llangurig YFC, has won the Montgomeryshire Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs' eisteddfod chair. Overall winner of the 18 clubs taking part was Trefeglwys, with Llanfair Caereionion second and Dyffryn Tant third. ...

Cumbria young farmers.
January 2, 2004... LINDSAY Pollock of Raughton Head YFC is Cumbria Young Farmers' member of the year. Lindsay, who takes over as Cumbria Young Farmers northern district chairman in January, was a member of the team which won the YFC national cookery competition...

Champions in Gwent.
January 2, 2004... BEDWAS YFC is Gwent Young Farmers' champion club. The award was presented to the club's 2003 chairman, John Williams, at the federation's AGM. Usk was reserve champion and Abergavenny was third. Raglan took the honours for the club gaining most...

CLYWD YFC ACCOLADES.
January 2, 2004... GLYN Colclough of Holywell was elected county president and trophies were presented during the Clywd Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs' AGM. Phil Davies of Llangollen is president elect. Award winners pictured are Emyr Williams of...

Glen takes Boxing Day title - a point ahead of Cap.
January 2, 2004... IN wet, windy conditions Jim Cropper and Glen took the title at the Boxing Day Charity Nursery Trial held at Lumb, Rossendale, Lancashire, where #300 was raised for cancer research. William Heslop, of Baxenden, judged the entry of 41 dogs....

Split decision justified.
January 2, 2004... THE decision to divide the day into two trials, each with its own judge, was bold given that the post-Christmas trial at Tynwern, Llanrhystud, was a new fixture. It was hoped both trials would attract enough entries so the winners would...

Farmers' markets.
January 2, 2004... Farmers markets have been thriving in America for almost 30 years. Their success prompted their establishment here in the UK. DAVID BURROWS reports from the `Big Apple'. THE City of New York boasts in excess of 30 farmers' markets, some of...

Cowshed cottages facing the winter-let challenge.
January 2, 2004... Farmers thinking of diversifying into farm holiday cottages need to consider their options carefully as the rapid growth in numbers of conversions for holidays has led to over-supply in the market for winter lets. Rosalind Pasmore talks to two...

Essential for organic growers - compost.
January 2, 2004... Compost is an essential ingredient for organic vegetable growers, providing added advantages of disease suppression and a balanced supply of nutrients to the crops. As a result the Soil Association launched its first demonstration compost farm...

Feed price hike hits pig production costs.
January 2, 2004... PIG producers in Britain and the rest of Europe are calling for an increase in pork prices in the face of major feed price rises, British Pig Executive chairman Stewart Houston has warned retailer and foodservice leaders. A report produced...

Welsh lamb and beef test.
January 2, 2004... WELSH lamb and beef will be put to the test at a high profile event taking place in Amsterdam between January 4 and 7. Two competitions on the Ven International stand at Horecava 2004 - the leading trade event in the Benelux for the hotel,...

Single farm payment may be on hybrid basis.
January 9, 2004... THE new single farm payment (SFP) in England is likely to be calculated on a hybrid basis that combines historical subsidy payments and an area flat-rate, if Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty gets his way. Speaking at the Oxford...

Use historic method to calculate single farm payments - Gill.
January 9, 2004... IN his last address to the Oxford Farming Conference as president of the NFU, Sir Ben Gill insisted the historic method must be used to calculate the single farm payment to safeguard the future of English farmers. Referring to Lord...

Importation of GM rice gets go-ahead.
January 9, 2004... THE Government has confirmed to the European Commission that it has assessed an application by Bayer for the importation of genetically modified rice for processing and animal feed as complying with EU requirements. The application and the...

Hybrid payments seen as inevitable by some industry leaders.
January 9, 2004... LORD Whitty's carefully worded address to the Oxford Farming Conference was met with dismay in some sections of the industry but was music to the ears of others. Defra's consultation on CAP reform ended in November and revealed a wide...

NFU submits plans for new HQ at Stoneleigh.
January 9, 2004... THE NFU has submitted a planning application for a new landmark building that will house its new national headquarters at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from summer next year. The two-storey crescent- shaped site will provide 25,000 sq ft of...

Interest pay.
January 9, 2004... The Rural Payments Agency has announced that compensation payments in the form of interest to those producers who received their 2002 bovine payments after the end of July 2003, will be made in February. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Greater transparency within milk supply chain is retail giant's aim.
January 9, 2004... ONE of Britain's biggest milk retailers is aiming to consolidate its milk supplier base to extend its dedicated supply chain operation. Asda states this is designed to develop relationships within the supply chain that are transparent and...

Apply ASAP.
January 9, 2004... Farmers thinking of entering an application for the Countryside Stewardship scheme in 2004 are being advised to submit their applications as soon as possible as the deadline has been brought forward from April 30 to March 31. Copyright:...

Potato stocks.
January 9, 2004... The British Potato Council's provisional estimate of calculated end- November stocks for all home crop supplies of potatoes in Great Britain is 3.396 million tonnes, which is down 15.7 per cent from 2002 and 6 per cent below three years ago....

Grants approved to encourage co-operation in pig industry.
January 9, 2004... THE British Pig Executive has approved grants totalling more than #0.5m in the third tranche of its scheme to encourage producers and other sections of the industry to co-operate with each other in supply chains. The six grants, which...

Pesticide posts.
January 9, 2004... Rosaline Howell, a senior lecturer in environmental and geographical sciences at Manchester metropolitan University, and Diane McCrea, an independent food and consumer affairs consultant, have been appointed as two new lay members to the...

AGCO Valtra deal complete.
January 9, 2004... AGCO's acquisition of Valtra Corporation has gone ahead. In mid December the European Commission gave its unconditional approval for the deal to proceed. At the beginning of this week, it was confirmed that Kone Corporation's sale of its...

Farmers' markets.
January 9, 2004... KENDAL was the first farmers' market to be held in Cumbria and began as a six-month pilot scheme in April 1998. The first markets were held at Asda, Kendal, with stalls inside and outside of the store. However, in October 1998, the market...

US cattle tracing described as `flawed'.
January 9, 2004... FLAWS in the cattle traceability procedures and BSE controls that have come to light since the discovery of the US's first BSE case look set to hamper efforts to regain consumer confidence in US beef. US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman...

EBLEX programme to be launched at sheep event.
January 9, 2004... A wide range of issues affecting the British sheep industry will be highlighted at the Trident Feeds Northern and Borders Sheep Fair, to be held at the Hexham and Northern Mart, Hexham, Northumberland, next Thursday (January 15). The...

Warning to non-producers.
January 9, 2004... A warning that non-producers must `use it or lose it' as far as their milk quota is concerned, has been made by quota agent Duncan Clark, of DCFM Quotas, Boston, Lincolnshire. Referring to the Government's announcement over quotas last...

Their work is honoured in New Year list.
January 9, 2004... THE Government's chief vet Jim Scudamore has been made a Companion of the Bath in the New Year's Honours List. Also honoured were Castle Douglas farmer Donald Biggar, chairman of Smithfield 2002, and Professor John Moverley, principal and...

CHALMERS'S VIEW: Opportunities and threats will dominate the new year.
January 9, 2004... Farmers, landowners and rural businessmen stand at the beginning of a year which promises a succession of opportunities, but also threats to their ability to earn a living, as Douglas Chalmers, the CLA's North West regional director explains....

OPINION: Keep it simple, please.
January 9, 2004... Decoupled subsidy payments would be calculated on the basis of payments received by farmers in the base years of 2000 to 2002. That was presented as fact and seemed one of the few constants in the frantic build up to the historic CAP reform...

Clearing contaminated land and tax relief.
January 9, 2004... Farmers working to clear contaminated land should be aware of the tax relief available to them, as Joss Dalrymple, a director of financial and accountancy group, Smith & Williamson, and head of its Salisbury tax office, explains. The...

Deterioration fears as SVS faces partial privatisation challenge.
January 9, 2004... THE State Veterinary Service is facing up to the challenge of partial privatisation in spite of recent Government moves to bring in a new animal health and welfare strategy. The Association of State Veterinary Officers fear this could lead...

Leaving the family firm after 45 years.
January 9, 2004... DAVID Maunder, chairman of the meat and poultry producer Lloyd Maunder, has retired after 45 years' service with the company, during which time the company has grown from less than 100 employees to around 1,000. His departure is part of...

Chairman is re-elected.
January 9, 2004... FORMER Welsh Black Cattle Society president, John Pryse Rees, of Brysgaga, Bow Street, Aberystwyth, has been re-elected as chairman of the society's council for a second year. Vice-chairman is Evan Tudor, of Aber, Trawsfynydd, Meirionnydd,...

Little Red Tractor pledge by food standards chairman.
January 9, 2004... THE new chairman of Assured Food Standards (AFS) Colin Smith has pledged to increase consumer understanding of the Little Red Tractor logo. The former Safeway chief executive said he was confident the logo and the assurance schemes...

Milk price rise `likely' if cheese increase is sustained.
January 9, 2004... IF the recent milk for cheese increases could be sustained into 2004, a further rise in the price paid for milk could be likely given the increased service levels required by liquid suppliers. That is the view of Pete Nicholson, milk...

`Barometer' company predicts return of confidence.
January 9, 2004... THE boss of a Suffolk pig equipment manufacturing and supply company that has always been seen as a reliable barometer for the health of the industry is predicting an encouraging return of activity and confidence within the sector in 2004. ...

Small mounted sprayer range from Spraycare.
January 9, 2004... SPRAYCARE has added a new mounted model to its range of sprayers aimed at the smaller farmer. It fills the gap between the economy range with a manual boom and the larger 1,200 litre 12/24-metre boom range. To be launched at LAMMA by...

Record number of stands at show.
January 9, 2004... THE twenty-third LAMMA Show, organised by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association takes place next week on Wednesday and Thursday, January 14 and 15 at the Newark Showground, on the Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire border....

Lynx staying cool at show.
January 9, 2004... Lynx Engineering will be launching the new Cleanfix MC fan at the 2004 LAMMA show. The fan replaces the normal viscose cooling fan on a tractor engine and has the ability to reverse airflow from sucking to blowing. This feature allows the...

Quad for highway use.
January 9, 2004... MOST of the small quad bikes which Kymco sells in France - where it is the market leader - are registered for road use. Now the company is introducing the MXer 150RL quad to the UK. The automatic four-stroke machine is claimed to be robust...

Homburg launches new heavy duty drain jetter.
January 9, 2004... A heavier duty and higher specification drain jetter has been introduced by Homburg. Marketed in the UK through John Colman, Sudbury, Suffolk. The Homburg `Senior' has a 300m long hose which can be increased to 500m. Three hydraulic motors...

Septoria tritici control blow.
January 9, 2004... PROSPECTS for achieving good control of the wheat disease septoria tritici have been dealt a further blow after scientists confirmed that the efficacy of triazole fungicides against the disease was declining. The news comes a year after the...

Attention to detail.
January 9, 2004... OMEX marketing manager Ian Elliot said his company's approach to potato crop nutrition focused on attention to detail. "Potatoes are the most expensive crop to feed, but also the most responsive," he said, adding that assessment of the...

A big-scale future for potato production.
January 9, 2004... FEWER and bigger enterprises would be the shape of future potato production, but yields would not rise by much so those staying in the game would have to look how they could be more competitive, predicted Higgins Group technical director Graeme...